Devotion
by shawnders808
Summary: Heir to the throne of Harmonica Kingdom, Princess Angela overcomes many hardships with the help of her Royal Knights. Gather for the tale of a journey of a Princess and her five knights. Rated T for language. AU.
1. Once Upon A Time

**Hey guys! I decided to start another story, and although the updates will sometimes be few and far between, I hope to stick with this story, as well as my other most recent one. I just want to thank you guys all for your support and lovely reviews. I've had an account for a while and throughout the years, I was always overjoyed with people liking things I'd created for them. I hope you guys had great holidays, and I hope you'll all have a happy New Year! **

…

A long time ago, on a beautiful island far away, there was a legendary kingdom called Harmonica Kingdom. The kingdom, set away from the hustle and bustle of the other countries, was a very happy one. The citizens were content on the island, and there was plenty of fertile land for them to

use. They created their own system of living, and the economy thrived off the farming.

All the townspeople lived fairly happy lives. There weren't any issues as far as unemployment

and taxes went. No one complained, because they loved their king. There was no problem with the

agricultural economy, either, because some of the townsfolk came from foreign countries that

surrounded Harmonica Kingdom, and those people had strengths in other industries.

There were not many strict laws in Harmonica Kingdom, either. There were laws against

violence, vandalism, and theft. The most important law, as the King saw it, was kindness. At every

public event and festival, the king would come out and talk about how you should 'do unto others as you wish for them to do unto you'.

It sounded like a perfect kingdom to most outsiders, which is why many people wished to move

there one day. However, there was only one underlying issue that no one casually spoke of: the king's age. It was fact that the king was aging worse and worse each year. Everyone loved him and no one wanted to even think about losing His Majesty.

The King had two successors at one point in time. As goes, the oldest son of the family takes the

throne when the time comes. But the King's only son turned the throne down, as he did not want that much responsibility. If truth be told, as the Prince's sister would say, he was just afraid of failing in front of the people. He felt as if no one could accept him the way they accepted the King.

The was only one answer to this issue: the Princess. The Princess was a very wonderful young lady who cared about others before anything. She had been adopted at a young age by His Majesty and growing up with him and the late Queen was all she could have ever asked for in life. Like the Queen, the Princess had a short temper, and she was very straightforward and stubborn. However, also like the Queen, and even the King, the bad qualities never came out negatively. In fact, she was only stubborn when it came to the people of their small country and her family.

The King knew the Princess would be fine for the throne. Fate guided her to it, and she graciously accepted the responsibility. All of the Royal Family approved of her, but the citizens had yet to even hear this news.

The heir's coronation was to be announced at the next festival and the King could not have been more pleased. He knew the townspeople would accept his daughter, the Princess, at the coronation and he was more than excited to finally introduce her to them. Her birthday was coming up shortly after the next festival, and she would finally be of the proper age.

A few weeks later, it was finally time for the Princess's coronation. Things in the castle were hectic preparing for the ceremony, maids bustling about and other servants running around trying to prepare as well.

There was a new beginning to the end of an old journey.

…

**Sorry if that was a bit sloppy. I promise it'll get better later on! It's 4:23am where I live, so I'm quite tired. Review and let me know what you thought! Many of you ask for back stories whenever I write, so here's sort of one, haha. I'm going to attempt to keep this story as close to Harvest Moon as possible, even though it's AU. **


	2. Flustered

**Hey guys! I'm hoping you liked the first chapter! I'm going to write a couple before I post them, that way it gives you guys at least something to read for a bit! I hope you enjoy!**

…

"Angela, are you really going to-"

"Chase!" A chastising voice rang out and the person mentioned thrust his gaze towards the ceiling before continuing.

"Your Highness, are you really going to spend eternity picking which dress to wear? And why were we summoned here instead of the maids?" The man speaking, Chase, was given a cold glare by another gentleman in the room.

"But Chase! The maids are all busy enough and you knights are the closest people to me than anyone else. Not to mention, you're guys, and you can be honest about whether or not I look good. Guys know what guys like. I just need to look decent enough the first time I meet the people!"

Chase shook his head, peach-colored locks falling into his face. He gave the girl a half smile. "Fine, fine," he said. "We'll help."

"Must you be so formal with the princess, Chase? You are a knight, a-"

Chase cut the other knight off, rolling his eyes once more. "A lowly servant that only exists to protect the princess, blah blah blah. I get it, Bo. Really, you might want to change the lecture up a bit, Sir Goody-Two-Shoes. I know this one by heart."

The aforementioned, Bo, gave him a sharp glare. "You wouldn't have it memorized if you behaved for once and acted as a knight should. Then maybe-"

Bo was cut off by the commander of the knights. "Enough!" His voice was low and cold as he glared at the two knights. Bo straightened up.

"Excuse me, Commander. Excuse me, Princess. I'm sorry to have acted out!" Bo stammered over his sentence, fearful of what rigorous training the commander would make them do.

"Commander Owen, which dress do you think would suit me well?" The princess looked over at the knight commander, not before winking at Chase. It was Commander Owen's turn to sputter.

"Princess, you look lovely in every thing, of course. Any dress you choose will be sufficient for today's events!" He hurried his small speech, his cheeks glowing a deep red, almost matching his fiery hair.

Chase laughed, along with his other comrade, Luke, who was standing a little ways away. Bo looked frustrated as the two knights laughed at their commander. The last knight, Toby, was standing against the wall away from everyone else. He snorted and then closed his eyes again. He was always napping at the most inopportune times.

"Alright, alright. Sorry Owen, I didn't mean to embarrass you," the princess said. "All of you can leave. Except Sir Chase. He has to stay." Chase snapped his mouth shut immediately, and all the other knights smiled. Angela walked them to the door, telling them to go on ahead to the balcony where the ceremony was to be held. "Chase is going to escort me. Isn't that right, Chase?" She heard the other knights laugh as Toby spoke.

"Glad it's not me. What a pain," he said as they turned the corner of the hall.

When Angela turned around, Chase was sprawled out on her bed, staring at her ceiling. He had his arms up under his head and his legs spread. The tip of the sheath of his sword was dangling off the edge of the bed. Angela stared at him, taking in his appearance. He was always wearing the same uniform: A white jacket with black cuff links, the sleeves rolled up halfway up his arm, and tight-ish black pants. He had on a white shirt underneath the jacket, along with a necklace with an orange on it, which the Princess had given him for his birthday when they first met. It was meant as a joke because she despised her new knight when he first showed up. Although, she was sixteen at the time and could hardly take the sarcasm dealt to her by a man only three years older than her. She smiled at the memory.

Without looking at her, Chase raised his eyebrow. "You know, Angela, if you take a picture, it'll last a hell of a lot longer."

Angela shook her head and snapped at him jokingly. "Why art thou so friendly with the Princess. Thou mustn't speak to Her Highness in such a casual tone, you knave." Chase let out a snort as he sat up looking at her. "How was my Bo impression?" she asked him.

"Spot on. Although you forgot to lecture me on the years of extensive training at the Knight Academy on how to treat Royalty and blah blah blah." He gave her a thumbs up and she laughed.

"Alright Chase, time to help me pick out a dress. There's thirty minutes left until I have to be out on that balcony."

"Wait, I actually have to help?" Chase looked horrified.

…

"Are you done yet?" Chase called out. Angela, after he'd helped her pick a dress, made him lay on her bed with his face in her pillows until she was completely done, having finished her hair and makeup. Usually, the maids would do this for her. Today was different. They'd apologized so many times to Angela because they couldn't help her out, as they had many things to prepare for the ceremony. Angela just batted their apologies away with a wave of her hand, assuring them that it was fine. She preferred getting ready herself. She knew how she liked her makeup done, and that was that.

"Almost!" Angela wiped a cotton ball under her eye where eyeliner had smudged. She never used a lot, so it wasn't a big deal in the first place. "Okay!" She stood up quickly, maybe too quickly, as she stumbled forward. Chase, already standing, had cat-like reflexes. Being a knight, he had trained very hard on how to be quick and efficient at everything. He caught her, white gloves brushing her skin. His sword in its sheath clattered against the top of his boot. Chase chuckled at her.

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself there, Princess." She shot him a quick glare before straightening up and brushing her skirt down. Chase stepped back and examined her.

The thing about the Princess, Angela, and her Knight, Sir Chase, was that, although they hated each other in the beginning, they grew to become great friends. And although Bo, who, friendly in and of himself, was always strict on all the Knights for being informal, Angela always loved the way that Chase never was. She hated being treated like a princess every minute of every day. She preferred doing her hair and makeup the way _she_ wanted to. She preferred to tie her own corsets so she could actually breathe. She preferred wearing jeans and a plain t-shirt and socks rather than the stupid corsets and giant puffy dresses. They were beautiful and elegant, but Angela had grown tired of that after a while. Her father seemed to always buy her the puffiest, biggest, most frilly dresses he could find. She could never understand if he was preserving her childish innocence or if he actually thought they looked pretty.

Chase hated those frilly dresses too. He hated how childish they made her look. Bo was like the King; he always picked puffy dresses, too. Owen was never any help, and Luke was not to be trusted left alone in a room with Chelsea. Or maybe it was that Chelsea was not to be trusted in a room with just Luke. He had a sexual teasing tendency, and Angela would get so flustered to the point where she would snap. Then there was Toby, who probably wouldn't even be awake enough to help her pick a dress, let alone wait for her and escort her. _What a pain_, he would say.

That left Chase. He and Princess Angela were practically inseparable. If the Princess went anywhere, she always chose Sir Chase as her guarding Knight. His seat was next to hers at the banquet table. Although shifts changed from a day to day basis, Chase mostly just got to patrol the castle, where Angela could walk alongside him before he would escort her back to her room when she was tired.

The two were best friends. Of course, no one could know just how friendly the Princess and her Knights were, as they were technically considered servants, and any informal relationship was not to be tolerated. Angela swore to Chase up and down on multiple occasions that somehow, someway, she'd make the Senate see what a silly rule that was.

Eying Angela up and down while thinking, Chase nodding to show his approval. The fact that he knew the Princess so well was why he always had to help pick out dresses when the maids were absent. He picked a light teal dress that made her brown hair stand out against it. It wasn't puffy or frilly, but it was still beyond elegant. It was an A-line dress that descended onto the floor, flooding the tiles with its fabric. It had bright white pearls embroidering the top and the bottom. It was strapless and had an open back, but it still covered everything and made her look gorgeous. Her shoes were white to match the pearls, and they stood out against the dress, along with her hair.

Her hair was pulled back on the sides with braids, and the rest of her hair came up to meet the braids in a pretty bun. Her makeup was simple, yet beautiful, and it suited her well.

"Hmm. One thing." Chase stepped closer toward Angela, trying not to gawk at her. He pulled her hair out of its bun and it fell around her shoulders. It was slightly curled, and it stopped right below her shoulder blades. This time, Chase did gawk at her when he stepped back. She looked simply stunning. There were no words to describe how his best friend looked right then. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever seen a princess that looked more elegant and beautiful and princess-like than Angela right there in that moment.

Aware of his gaze, her face flamed up and her eyes widened. "Is it bad?"

"No no no!" Chase hurriedly exclaimed as he pulled her arm back toward him. She'd stepped away to look in the mirror, thinking something was wrong. "No, Angela. No. Princess," he corrected. "Your Highness, you look absolutely stunning. No princess could outshine you, Angie."

She looked down at her feet as to avoid his gaze, hoping he wouldn't notice how red her face was. Sometimes, Chase could drop the sarcasm for a few minutes and become one of the most-

"Alright, Your Highney. Let's do this!''

Make that a few seconds. Angela instantly snapped back to herself when he said this, and gave him a slight glare. "I'll tell Bo," she threatened. He shut his mouth quickly. "That's what I thought." She beamed up at him, and he smiled back down at her.

Chase held out his arm for Angela, but instead, she grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers together. They stepped out into the hall and, with only a couple minutes left until she was to be presented to the citizens, walked toward the balcony. As soon as they go to the French doors to the balcony, Angela squeezed Chase's hand. "I guess it's time for me to put my best foot forward." She said. Chase gave her a reassuring smile.

He squeezed her hand back. "Break a leg."

Angela knew, as two maids pulled back the doors and she stepped out onto the balcony, that everything would be fine as long as she had Chase next to her, along with all her other knights.

The King spoke, holding her hand as Chase moved back with the other knights. "Introducing, my daughter, heir to the Harmonica Kingdom throne, Princess Angela!"

**I feel like that was kind of sloppy. But you guys let me know! Reviews are much appreciated!**


	3. Engraved

**Sorry for the delay, you guys! I've been so busy with school this semester. It's a new paper every week in English, it seems. College gets harder and harder. Anyways, a special thanks to ****himeoozora**** for reviewing! Reviews are much appreciated! Enjoy!**

…

_Angela knew, as the two maids pulled back the doors and she stepped out onto the balcony, that everything would be fine as long as she had Chase next to her, along with all her other knights._

_The King spoke, holding her hand as Chase moved back with the other knights. "Introducing, my daughter, heir to the Harmonica Kingdom throne, Princess Angela!"_

…

Angela nervously overlooked the crowd of citizens before turning pleading eyes towards her knights. Her eyes immediately locked with Chase's, and he smiled at her and gave a barely noticeable nod, urging her to speak.

Staring for a second longer, Angela took a deep breath and smiled at Chase, then turned her smile towards the crowd.

"Citizens of Harmonica Kingdom, it is such an astounding pleasure for me to get to introduce myself as Princess of this kingdom. I yearn for the happiness of each and every one of us to help better ourselves as a whole in our community. I hope for us all the work together and to create something historical and beautiful, right here on this island in Harmonica Kingdom!" Although short, Angela's speech put smiles on the faces in the crowd. She stood tall and proud, content that everything was going so smoothly and everyone seemed to accept her as the heir to the throne.

"People of Harmonica Kingdom, we shall have a wonderful gathering this weekend on the grounds of the palace. Everyone is welcome! There will be food and wine and dancing, and a present for all of you, from the Princess herself!" His Majesty stared out over the crowd, smiling. "I'm so glad that each and every one of you took the time out of your day to hear our speeches, and I hope that you have a magnificent time for the rest of this beautiful day!"

Immediately, Owen moved toward the King, offering to escort him to his room to get ready for dinner. The crowd below was dispersing, and Angela stared, waving back at some of the children and adults that waved up at her. She had a huge smile on her face and Chase reluctantly interrupted her.

"Princess, it is time to head back to your room to prepare for dinner. Shall I escort you?" Angela could tell that Chase was trying his hardest to keep a calm and professional face while staring at Bo from the corner of his eye.

"Thank you." Chase held his arm out to her, and she reached out to grab it.

…

"Why can't I keep this dress on?"

"For the exact same reason your father cannot keep his same suit on."

"Which is?"

"Dumb royalty rules."

Chase and Angela both giggled when he said that.

The Princess was currently bent over in her closet, digging through a pile of dresses she dumped on the floor earlier that day. Chase was laying on her bed, one arm behind his head, a pillow wrapped in his other arm, and a bemused look on his face.

Angela looked up at him suddenly, pouting out her bottom lip and trying to make her eyes as big as possible.

"Chaaaase~" she whined. "Can you pwetty pwease hewlp me pick out a dwess ta wear?"

"Angie… I-"

"_Pweeeeaaaasssseeee~"_ Angela continued to beg in a whiny voice.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Fine. But we have to hurry this up Ange. We have to be down there in ten minutes. Just throw your hair up and put…." Chase dug through the pile of dresses along with the ones hanging up in the closet. "Put this dress on and we can go!" Chase nodded approvingly as he said this, holding the dress in front of Angela's puppy-faced figure. "I'm stepping out. Hurry."

After Chase slipped out of the room, Angela slipped out of her current dress and slipped into the new one her favorite knight had picked out. This dress was also an A-line dress. It was strapless and rather plain, but still elegant. The top of it was white lace with three pearls acting as buttons. The bottom half of the dress was a sheer black material with a dark black cloth underneath. Chase had even grabbed Angela's favorite shoes, knowing the dress would be too long and hide the shoes.

Her shoes were bright teal and incredibly high-heeled. They had a strap going across them, which is why Angela preferred walking in them.

Chase knew her too well. He always picked things she loved when he helped her, which is probably why she always went to him for help in the first place.

After throwing her hair up and fixing her eyeliner a little bit, Angela stepped out of her door, locking it behind her.

Before she could even turn around to walk into the hallway, a hand suddenly smacked the door by her shoulder. She turned around in the small space she was given and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Where's Sir Chase?"

"Idunno. Somewhere. He left you in my big, strong, warm hands, though." Sir Luke winked at the Princess, causing her to roll her eyes and sigh again. Luke smiled. "It was worth a try. Anywho, Chaseykins told me he had something he just remembered that he had to do, and to escort you and be your protecting knight until he got back."

Angela tried not to frown. It wasn't that she didn't like Sir Luke, even though he tried her patience so often, it was just that Chase was not only the protecting knight she was always used to, but he was also her best friend. She always felt like things were off when he was missing.

Instead of frowning, Princess Angela tried her best to put a smile on her face and took Luke's now outstretched arm, letting him escort her towards the dining area.

…

"Angela, my dear! So nice of you to join us!"

"Sorry I was a little late, father. I couldn't figure out which dress to wear."

"Why not that pretty pink one with the round sleeves I bought you?"

"Oh, yeah, Dad. Maybe next time!"

It looked like King Hamilton was about to say something, but Angela was saved from the awkward situation by the palace's chef, and if Angela admitted, her personal favorite chef, Yolanda. Yolanda walked in with a cart, followed by the head maid Shelly and her two granddaughters Candace and Luna, who were also maids in the palace. Angela was never fond of Luna, who had her nose stuck in either a better business article or a Lolita fashion magazine.

Candace, on the other hand, Angela really liked, even though she was always so quiet and reserved. Shelly was the Princess's favorite maid, however. She not only served as a motherly/grandmotherly role to her, but also helped her with so much through the year. Shelly was always there when Angela needed someone to talk to. Shelly was another person who, in times of need, put away the "Your Highness" _crap_, as referred to by Angela, and talked to the Princess as if she were her own flesh and blood.

"Tonight we have a simplistic dinner menu, requested by her Highness and approved by his Highness and his Majesty." Angela rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut. "In honor of the coronation of Princess Angela, we put together her favorite meal: Swiss Chicken, green beans, and pasta."

"Honestly Ange, Mother would kill you if she saw your diet today. It's a good thing this is a special occasion and we don't let you pick every night." Gill flipped his blond hair out of his face as he said this, rolling his eyes at his sister.

Angela stuck her tongue out at Gill. Before the childish banter could continue, Hamilton spoke up. "Nonetheless, it will be delicious, as it was cooked by our best chef, Yolanda. Right, Prince Gill?" He gave a stern look to his son, who just nodded.

"Thank you, your Majesty. Bon appetite!"

Shelly walked toward Angela, placing a pre-made platter before her. "Should you be wearing those shoes, miss?" She winked at Angela who cracked a knowing smile back. As Shelly walked away, another voice spoke up.

"I think they're perfect."

Angela turned around, nearly receiving whiplash. She had not seen nor heard him walk into the room. She never once heard a door or anything. In fact, he didn't even look like he'd talked to her. He was standing in a row with the other knights, staring straight forward, waiting to be seated and served like every night.

Angela looked back down at her plate, smiling to herself as the knights were seated, Chase being put next to her as always.

…

After dinner, Sir Bo escorted the Princess to her room on the King's orders.

Just as she was laying down to sleep, there was a tap on her window. Angela sighed, annoyed. There was only one person that would sneak up onto her balcony at night.

As she walked over to unlock the doors to her small personal balcony, Chase flashed her a big grin.

"Nice shorts," he joked, stepping into her room. Her shorts were green and fuzzy pajama shorts with white polka dots and Chase laughed at her every time she wore them because he said they were childish.

"Cut the crap, Romeo. What do you need? I'm tired."

Instead of responding, Chase walked around Angela and laid on her bed, patting the spot next to him. Angela moved toward her bed, stopping suddenly and glaring at him. "What did I tell you about shoes on my bed?" she groaned. Chase didn't say anything; he only kicked his boots off and patted the spot on the bed again.

Up on one elbow, his chin resting on his palm, Angela realized how attractive her knight and best friend was. _He could pull so many girls_, Angela thought. She got a sick feeling in her stomach, knowing him protecting her as her knight was the reason he couldn't exactly focus on relationships at the moment.

Shaking the guilty feeling, Angela sat next to Chase, poking his cheek. "So what do you want?" she asked. "I'm sweepy." She pouted her bottom lip out.

"I have a present for you, since it is your coronation day and everything. The other day, my day off, when I said I had some paperwork to do from the King, I was actually out in the city. I saw this one day doing patrols on a festival day in the city, and I knew you would like it, so I got it." Chase pulled something out of his pocket. "Turn around and close your eyes."

Angela did as she was told and suddenly there was a cold feeling on her neck, sending chills up her spine. "There," Chase made an approving noise. "Go look in the mirror."

Angela walked over to her mirror and gasped. Around her neck on an elegant silver chain was a tiny charm. It was an orange, and it had _A&C_ engraved on the back of it. Angela held the tiny charm in her fingers, then grasped it with her whole hand. "Chase! I love it!" She ran toward the bed, jumping onto it and wrapping her arms around his neck. He caught her just in time so that they didn't both tumble off the edge of the bed.

"It was a set. There was another charm on a necklace, but I gave the silver necklace to the shopkeeper so that they could reuse it. Instead I just kept the charm. Luke helped me attach it to my sheath. That way, I'm always reminded of you whenever I'm fighting a battle. I know what I'm fighting for." Chase sighed. "Which is what you want to hear but actually it was really the best place to put it. But I did get the set so we could have them together. Look! Mine has _A&C _engraved in it too!"

Angela fingered the tiny charm on his sword's sheath, smiling.

"Thank you, Chase. I love it." She hugged him again, and he held her close to him.

"It should be easy to hide, just like mine is. You can always wear it as an anklet if you can't hide it around your neck."

"I love love love it, Chase!" Angela was still hugging her knight.

"Well as much as I'd love to stay, I should get going. I'm patrolling the grounds with Luke tonight. He knows I'm here but no one else does."

"Do you have to go?" Chase was mid-move into getting up off the bed after letting go of Angela. Something in her tone told him he should probably not be making a move to get off the bed. "Can you just stay until I fall asleep? I miss mom. It's so hard without her, knowing that she would have been so proud today."

Chase inched under the covers as Angela spoke, pulling her under them with him. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arm around her midsection. "If anyone walks in, we're dead. You know that, right?"

"I promise I'll be asleep soon. Thank you for the necklace Chase."

Admittedly, even though Chase complained, he wished he could stay there forever. Soon, Angela was asleep and Chase left a note on her pillow before returning to his patrol post.

"_Angela, _

_Whenever you wake up, go downstairs, get breakfast, and get changed. Wear the dark green dress you have with the black strappy heels you have, and put your hair up. It's supposed to be hot tomorrow, and we'll be outside all day. As soon as you're changed, I'll be waiting to escort you downstairs and into the gardens for the weekend gathering your father is holding in your honor. I'm glad you like your necklace. Sleep tight, sweet Princess. _

_~C"_

…

**Sooo, that was really long and painfully not plot advancing near the end. I mean, I suppose it is. The big parts here are the weekend gathering, Angela and her knights, and her coronation. Anyways, I should be able to write more tomorrow between theatre and the play I have to go see. So hopefully look forward to that! It'll get better. Promise! Reviews are appreciated!**


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